Ross William Hamilton/The OregonianMike Riley's team needs to do some soul-searching after two crippling losses that might have doomed the Beavers' bowl chances.

CORVALLIS -- It turns out that despite what Alex Linnenkohl said, Oregon State's miserable last three games have been real.

"Those games -- UW, UCLA and Wazzu -- it's like a bad dream," said
Linnenkohl, the Beavers starting center and team captain. "It's like
you're trying to run fast, you're going slow and you've got dogs chasing
you."

On Saturday, it was more like Beavers trying to chase Cougars, as
Washington State (2-9, 1-7 Pacific-10 Conference) ran all over Oregon
State's defense on its way to a 31-14 upset win in Reser Stadium.

A nightmare for Linnenkohl and his teamamtes? You bet. The worst news?
It doesn't get any easier from here, as dates with USC, No. 7 Stanford
and No. 1 Oregon loom. If the Beavers (4-5, 3-3) have any hope of being
bowl eligible, they have to fix problems, and fast.

It is, as linebacker Keith Pankey said, time for a major gut-check.

"Everybody's got to go home and look in the mirror," Pankey said. "This one stings, it really does."

Pankey and Linnenkohl stopped short of calling out their teammates, but
this much is clear: Oregon State is hurting for leadership and
inspiration, and the 2010 season is quickly going down the drain because
of it.

Coach Mike Riley probably has as many questions as anyone, and he is
still searching for his team's identity two and a half months into the
season. Linnenkohl said the team must regroup. It would probably be good
to start with the offensive line.

It's no secret tailback Jacquizz Rodgers has been frustrated all season
with the lack of holes the line opens. On Saturday he got vocal about
it, ripping into the offensive line after he was tackled in the
backfield. He was, he said, desperately trying to fire everyone up.

"I feel like if you give effort on every play, and try your best to beat
the guy in front of you, something good will happen if you play whistle
to whistle," Rodgers said. "Some people get caught watching plays and
other people are still going."

Though no one will admit it out loud, Oregon State is still reeling from
the loss of Jacquizz's brother, wide receiver James Rodgers. Players
and coaches have praised those who have stepped up in Rodgers' absence,
but it's obvious that Rodgers' emotional leadership might be more
valuable than his play on the field.

Saturday, James Rodgers climbed slowly up to the locker room on crutches, shaking his head when asked what was going wrong.

"I don't know," he said, obviously frustrated. "I just don't know."

Linnenkohl believes there is still time to fix the problems.

"We know what we can do," he said. "We've played better teams, beaten
better teams. We know we can heal from this and still make the 2010
Beavers a good story."